With over 15,000 regular students and a campus that spans 96 acres, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) in Calgary produces a significant amount of waste. “In late 2008, as part of a campus expansion project, we sought a more sustainable approach to our daily operations management practices,” says John Millington, manager of facilities operations and campus expansion projects. “We knew to meet the goals of that plan, we needed a new partner that would focus on waste diversion and sustainability.”

At many institutions, potential energy efficiency projects are sidelined due to an inability to track energy and financial savings. With GRITS, institutions can manage, analyze and share data on specific projects—exceeding spreadsheet capabilities.

I live in a world of lectures, faculty meetings and final exams. For my environmental science students and me at Widener University in Chester, Pa., however, it’s also a world of hands-on research on a butterfly farm in Costa Rica, or experiential learning in the rainforests of Peru.

This world didn’t include university food service contracts, price points, or product launches until my chance meeting with an alumnus who shared a passion for environmental sustainability. That meeting led to a simple, delicious cup of coffee.

Colleges and universities nationwide marked the 10th annual Campus Sustainability Day in October with events and discussions that reflect on the success of the sustainability movement in higher education.